If anyone knows the sadness and despair that cancer can bring, it’s Celine Dion — she lost her husband of almost 23 years, Rene Angelil, after a lengthy battle with cancer in January, and just a few days later, her brother, Daniel, also passed away from cancer. That’s a heavy blow for anyone to take, but Dion has been the picture of grace ever since, telling her first Las Vegas audience after her husband died, “I might not hear his voice, yet, but I talk to him, I think of him all the time.” Dion channeled her grief into a performance on Stand Up 2 Cancer, and it was such a poignant and touching moment.
Dion opened her performance with more words about her late husband. “I miss Rene everyday, and the loss will now be a part of my life.” She then went on to talk about an “unexpected gift” she received in her grief — a new song, called “Recovering,” written by singer Pink. “She offered me a song that expresses the power to stand up and stay strong,” Dion said, before she sang those “Heart Will Go On” lungs out. She was obviously emotional throughout the whole thing, and it was a fitting tribute to both the family members she lost and the strength that she’s gained in the month since their deaths.
It was so wonderful for Pink to gift this song to Dion — I wouldn’t even think the two would know each other, but clearly Pink knew that Dion needed to channel her grief in some way. The song is really powerful, with lyrics like, “Little by little/day by day/one step at a time/shake off the devil/take back my piece of mind.” I’m getting emotional even writing about it. “Recovering” is a beautiful song, a beautiful present, and a beautiful way for Dion to share her journey to the world.
